Cellular One, a small wireless provider, received $13 million in Federal Broadband Stimulus money to develop broadband services.
“Not only will this grant address the critical need to build out broadband services in Eastern Illinois, but more importantly, it will make a significant contribution to the long term economic growth of communities in the region,” said Richard Nespola, Chairman and CEO of TMNG Global, which helped Cellular One apply for the grant.
The grant will help fund the deployment of mobile and fixed wireless broadband service over a 3G Universal Mobile Telecommunications Network (UMTS) in 11 rural counties in eastern Illinois. Fiber-to-the-tower (FTTT) will also be deployed to provide an upgrade path to a 4G LTE network.